Pruning Apple Trees for more Fruit

Apples flower and fruit on spurs. Spurs are short multi branching stems along the main branches and pruning should be undertaken to develop, enhance or replace these spurs. There are two main structures of apple trees. Vase shaped where upright branches are trained in a V formation and spurs are developed along these upright branches. Espalier and centre leader trees both have... Read More

Looking after Indoor Plants

Everyone worries about how their favourite indoor plant will survive an absence of care for two or more weeks in summer. With some foresight and thought there are ways to ensure your indoor plants survive and grow well. Gather all the pot plants together into the laundry and ensure that they are well watered so that all the potting soil is moist. Place them into the washing tub... Read More

Propagation by Cuttings – made simple

The Art and Science of Gardening A cutting is a piece of vegetable material severed from a plant and placed in and environment which is conducive to producing roots and/or shoots and which does not reduce the capacity of the cutting to survive. There are several typed of cuttings: Softwood Cuttings: Cuttings of young shoots which are very tender. Generally taken in summer. These... Read More

Important Jobs for a Great Garden

Garden Action for Spring – Spray fruit trees and roses with all seasons spraying oil. — Clean and service your garden tools and lawn mower ready for action — Tidy up garden ready for spring bulbs coming through. — Clean and prepare your glasshouse for summer crops — Prepare vegetable garden ready for spring planting — Fertiliser the lawn... Read More

How to create simple, stylish hedging

Simple, tidy and stylish… Choosing an edge or hedge means tidy, compact and ordered – in a clever, architectural way. Be it formal or informal hedges add a feeling of stylish continuity. Dividing a garden in such a way is private and secretive, with many interesting combinations of textures and colours. Tiering is best suited to plants that have the same needs, it would... Read More

June – How to Prune Roses

Here are four simple steps to make it easier and quicker to prune your winter roses Remove all the dead and dying branches. Remove all the crossing branches (these grow from one side of the bush to the other) Remove oldest wood (easily identified by the grey corky bark) – aim to have three to five strong young stems remaining – and shorten these back to about... Read More